The present invention relates to caps for vessels.
Many different types of caps are known for vessels. For example, there is a conventional bottle cap which is pried loose to open the bottle and is then thrown away, leaving the bottle open. There are flip top caps. There are screw-on caps. There are even special dispensing bottles and caps which are sold separately from the product.
It is often desirable to have an inner seal on a vessel when the product is sold in addition to the cap. The inner seal is usually a piece of paper, plastic or metal which lies over the top of the vessel and is enclosed by the cap. These inner seals prevent leakage of the product during shipping and maintain product freshness until the customer opens the product and breaks the inner seal.
It is also known that the use of an elongated air vent tube is advantageous when pouring a liquid from a vessel, in that it allows air to enter the vessel to replace the liquid that is leaving the vessel, thereby providing a smoothly-flowing dispensing action. However, in order to provide an elongated air vent tube, the tube typically extends down into the vessel, which precludes the use of an inner seal as described above.
There is a beverage-dispensing system, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,381 "Freeman", in which a vessel is sold separately from the liquid product. This vessel is made in four parts. The base of the vessel is a jar with a threaded top. In order to close off the jar, a standard jar lid is used. When the vessel is in use, the jar lid is removed, an elongated neck is threaded onto the jar, and a vented, directional dispensing cap is snapped onto the top of the elongated neck. This is an expensive system, because it includes several parts and because it is purchased in addition to the vessel in which the product is sold. This is also a cumbersome system to use, because, after the dispenser is used, the neck and cap must be removed and washed, and the separate jar lid must be put onto the jar in order to close the jar for storage. Then, the jar can be refrigerated if necessary, so the product inside does not spoil. Despite the difficulties, this product is very popular and is a standard dispenser in bars and restaurants.